500 Hours of Solitude
by Nova5621
Summary: [Complete] Post War. Three years later, Sasuke has been released from prison and is now assigned a sentence he isn't too sure he can complete. "How the heck am I supposed to accomplish all of this? I don't even like people!"
1. Chapter 1

Edited: August 18, 2014

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Criminal Proceedings<strong>

"It's a big day, Sasuke. Please don't ruin it," Haruka pleaded.

"How can I ruin it?"

I watched her roll her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to lead me to the main headquarters of Konohagakure's correctional facility, a separate building from the correctional facility that housed actual criminals.

We were surrounded by a squad of ANBU and possibly another squad hidden in the trees, I couldn't sense them with the chakra suppressing seal Haruka placed on my wrists.

We trudged at a leisurely pace, not in a hurry, but not slow either.

"Don't smart mouth the board this time, Sasuke, please. They were not happy last time," she warned.

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Upon my return to the village, I was incarcerated and sentenced to ten years imprisonment, but thanks to the work of my _wonderful_ representative, Haruka, who worked as my spokesman to the board and the hokage, my sentence was shortened to three years and I was now on my way to my last hearing, where the board will deliberate how I would spend the rest of my punishment. Saving the world wasn't enough, I suppose.

We reached the main doors. This is when the other ninja tend to disperse and they did. They entered the building before us, leaving me alone with _her_.

She gripped my shoulder. "Sasuke, I've done all I can to help you and I'll continue to do so, but you need to help me too. This is the day," she squeaked the last part, more happy than usual. "You ready?"

I shrugged.

She sighed and opened the door for me, letting me enter before her.

The door shut loudly behind us and she immediately stiffened. "Oh no," she groaned.

Her posture shifted, her shoulders drooping, and a scowl spread across her face. "Let's go," she grumbled, pulling me down the hallway by the arm.

When we stopped in front of our assigned door, the reason for her drop in attitude became apparent to me.

Standing in front of the door was Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura were gathered together and buzzing with anticipation, as if they were waiting for their que to speak.

Kakashi was leaning on the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Kakashi," Haruka began to seethe.

He cleared his throat.

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Hokage-sama."

"What a pleasant surprise, Haruka." Kakashi straightened himself away from the wall and walked over to where Haruka and I stood. His tall stature overwhelming both of us.

"It is not a pleasant surprise. You know I'm in charge of Sasuke and you know today was our board meeting. Go away," she groaned. "Come on, Sasuke." She pushed me again but this time through the doors to the meeting room.

"You'll do fine, Sasuke!" I heard Sakura yell behind us.

"We'll see you on the other side!" Naruto shouted.

* * *

><p>The board sat at a long table at the head of the room. Four of the five members were present. That looked pretty professional, sheesh.<p>

Haruka led me to a smaller wooden table that was situated in front of the board table, but a few feet away. We bowed at the present members before sitting down.

Haruka began to pick at her fingernails, a nervous tick she happened to pick up over the year.

"Stop," I said more harshly than I intended.

She immediately dropped her hands down to her lap.

I slouched over the table and rested my head in the palm of my hand. "What are you so nervous about anyway?"

"Why wouldn't I be nervous?" She said softly, "your life is on the line."

My eyebrows rose at the words. _My life_?

The door opened loudly, breaking the previous quiet trance the room was in.

Haruka and I immediately stood up and watched as Ibiki Morino walked around our table and then the board table, stopping at the empty seat in the middle.

Haruka and I bowed.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I've got other work to do." He dropped down into his seat.

All five members of the board were now present; Ibiki Morino, Shizune, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, and Tokuma Hyuuga.

At one point during my many ventures to board meetings I asked Haruka why these people were in charge of my future.

"They hold Konoha's safety to the highest regard," she told me.

That wasn't really the reason I was searching for. Why these specific people?

"They try to keep the board as unbiased as possible, but at the same time reflecting the will of the people. One to two seats must be occupied by a member of one of the noble clans. One to two seats must be occupied by members of specific divisions in the Konoha's ninja force. For you, Sasuke," Haruka had paused for effectiveness, "they chose the leader of the intelligence division and a member of the medical corp. Also, one seat must be occupied by a person who has no noble clan affiliation and any stake in the other divisions, but must be a Jounin level ninja or higher."

Noble clans. Unbias. It was all stupid if you ask me. They would never get over what I did.

"Sasuke has behaved incredibly well," Haruka's voice powered through the room. I had blanked out and missed her opening statements. "Considering his original charge and the effect it had on Konohagakure, I believe his decreased sentence is legitimate." She had a strong presence in the room and her commanding voice always seemed to bring everyone to attention.

It's no wonder people can't get their eyes off her, or it could be her red hair. Although, it reminded me too much of Karin.

"Go on," Ibiki responded.

"In exchange for his release, I believe 500 hours of community service can replace his previous sentence and still retain a form of punishment."

My eyes, which were previously concentrated on my shoes, immediately shot up. Five hundred hours?! Five hundred fucking hours? How the hell am I supposed to accomplish that?

Ibiki looked between the other seated members. They each offered a slow nod.

"It's settled. Sasuke Uchiha is sentenced to 500 hours of community service, which he must complete in one years time, assigned by either his representative, Haruka, or the Hokage. As agreed on from our previous sessions, the extended sentence includes the prohibition of rejoining the ninja ranks as a full time ninja until his community service sentence is over. Uchiha is not allowed outside the walls of the village, and he must submit to Monthly medical exams. Is that clear, Uchiha?"

I stared openly. I still couldn't believe what Haruka was making me do. Five hundred hours?  
>"Sasuke," she whispered under her breath.<p>

"Is that clear?" Ibiki growled, leaning forward over the table.

"Yes, sir," I grumbled.

He slammed his hand on the table. "It's settled! Thank goodness." He rushed out of his seat, knocking it over backwards. "I'm tired of seeing that brat's face."

He rounded around the table and came barreling toward us.

"Good job, Haruka." He slapped her on the back. "You should ask the hokage for a raise."

He strode past without waiting for an answer.

"A raise is the last thing I'd ask for," she mumbled under her breath.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" I kicked a rock away with my foot.<p>

Instead of leading me back to the correctional facility, Haruka led me away from the administration building and through the less crowded parts of Konoha. It was mostly residential. It was the middle of the day so most people were either working or minding their own business in the shopping districts.

"We're headed to your new home." She swung her arms widely. She seemed to be in a better mood. "Now that you're out of jail. You need a place to stay. I went to the luxury of finding you a place. It's small but it will do since it's just you."

We walked for a few more blocks, past a few surprised civilians, and then stopped in front of a five story concrete building.

She fished a key ring out of her pocket and used one key to open the outer gate leading to the main outdoor hallway. "Mostly ninja live in this apartment complex so you won't be disturbed too much." She pulled the gate open and beckoned me through.

She led me to a staircase at the far end of the complex and proceeded to walk up the stairs. "Juugo and Suigetsu live in the complex as well. They're on level one."

We passed the first level and then the second. Third. Fourth. We stopped on the fifth level and walked down the walkway to the last door.

"This is it," she announced, fingering a different key and placing it in the keyhole.

I was not taken aback by the sight before me. My new apartment was boring and dark.

Haruka entered behind me and closed the door.

"This is smaller than small."

"Sasuke, you have no right to complain."

Haruka went to the windows and threw open the curtains. "Look what a nice view." Of a construction site. What the hell?

I felt myself sigh. Jail had been so much nicer than this damn place. Jail had a gym.

It took Haruka three steps to walk from one side of the living room into the kitchen. The bathroom was so small, I'm sure I'll be hitting my elbows on the wall and my bedroom only fit a twin-sized bed.

"Please don't complain about how small it is," her voice suddenly sounded small. "It was the best I could do. There were other complexes but they thought it was weird I was requesting such a large space for just one person."

Haruka walked over to me and patted me on the shoulder. Even though she was shorter than me she treated me like a child. I clearly wasn't, considering how many times I've made her blush in the past.

"How the heck am I supposed to complete five hundred hours of community service?"

"Come on, Sasuke. You're smart. You can do math. It shouldn't take you longer than a year to complete." She slapped me on the back. Her eyes landed on my wrists. "Oh."

I looked down as well. Her chakra seals looked like art compared to others.

She placed her hands on my wrists. "I'll be releasing these."

I felt my chest rise. She was really going to take them off?

"The board agreed, but on one condition."

"Shit."

"You already know what it is. It's the medical exams. You can get these off, if we agreed to it, which you did."

"How are medical exams comparable to chakra seals?" I asked. I'm sure I was getting the better side of this bargain.

My wrists began to burn. Haruka was already unsealing them. The dark features already disappearing.

"They just want to keep you in check, Sasuke."

After five seconds, any sign of the seal was gone. I spent three years with those seals on me. It was weird to see my arms so bare.

She dropped my wrists. "Alright, I'm off. I've got some paperwork to do. I'll stop by tomorrow with your first assignment. Have a good night."

She placed my keys on the kitchen table before exiting, not even saying a goodbye.

What was I supposed to do now?

I looked around my small apartment again, my eyes landing on the refrigerator. Was there any food to eat?

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Edited: August 18, 2014

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – The Hyuugas' are Known for their Byakugan and…Gardens?<strong>

"Wakey, wakey." I felt a warm breath tickle my cheek. I groaned in response and flipped over on my bed, ignoring the voice.

"You did not just ignore me, Sasuke."

Oh no.

"Get. Up," Haruka seethed. Her teeth snapping next to my ear. I heard her stomp away and slam my bedroom door.

I sat up with another groan. I raked a hand over my face and instantly started to curse at the sunlight flooding my room. I could hear Haruka moving about in the kitchen. I heard the opening and closing of the refrigerator door. Is she…making breakfast?

* * *

><p>I sat down at my kitchen table, fully dressed, and ready for the day, as ready as I could ever be.<p>

Haruka set a plate down in front of me. A stack of fluffy pancakes sat on top.

"You're making breakfast, for me?" I didn't wait for an answer. I picked up my fork and started cutting up pieces.

"Of course. You'll need all your energy for today." She set down a plate for herself and sat down across from me. "You know…since it's your very first volunteer day!"

She sounded enthusiastically fake and she knew it. She gave me a grin before stuffing her face with pancakes. We sat in silence for a few minutes. After awhile she pushed a piece of paper across the table. She tapped her finger on the paper, but I took my time before finally looking over.

"What is this?"

"Your first assignment…"

I groaned.

"I think you'll like this one." She stuffed the last bit of pancakes into her mouth and moaned with happiness. "I do say, I make pancakes very well."

"Whatever."

I watched as she stood up and dropped her dish into the sink. It fell with a loud clatter. "Hurry up and eat," she huffed.

I finished quickly just so I wouldn't hear her nag. At least her nagging didn't grate like Karin's or Sakura's.

She picked up my dish while I reached out for the paper. It was a flier advertising a garden. "What the heck is this?"

"I told you. Your first assignment."

"A garden…?"

"Yes…a garden."

"What am I going to be doing?"

"I don't know. Garden, stuff? Come on and get up. I'm supposed to drop you off."

"What? You're my babysitter now?"

* * *

><p>"You are kidding me."<p>

Haruka pushed me into the fenced in garden. There were other small groups of people walking amongst the plants, but other than that, it was pretty empty.

"Haruka-san," a small voice called from a distance.

Haruka and I looked over and watched the oldest of Hyuuga Hiashi's daughters walking over to us.

"Hinata-san," Haruka bowed slightly, "good morning."

"Oh, Haruka-san, you don't have to be so formal."

"No, it's quite alright," Haruka smiled. She placed a hand on my back and pushed me forward. I skidded to a stop. "I've brought you some help. Make him do whatever you need him to do."

"Oh, are you…sure?" Hinata looked down slightly before looking between Haruka and I.

"Positive. It's ten a.m. now. I'll pick him up around 4 p.m. Does that sound okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Bye!" Haruka waved happily before leaving me alone with the Hyuuga.

My eyes landed on her. She shifted on her feet. She gripped and wrung her hands together before saying a word.

"Sasuke-san…would you like to help us plant some vegetables?"

"It's not like I have a choice…"

"Right," she kicked a rock in the dirt. "Come this way."

I followed the girl until she stopped near the back of the garden, next to a square pit of overturned dirt.

"We'll be planting here. I'll go get the equipment." She walked away quickly and I didn't care to watch where she walked off too.

"Sasuke!" A happy voice drilled into my brain.

"Naruto," I groaned, for what seemed like the hundredth time today, but was probably just the fifth time. It wasn't even ten-thirty yet.

"Whatcha doin?" he slapped me on my back. He moved around me so that he was now standing next to me. "Are you going to plant some flowers?"

I remained silent.

Naruto began to play with the dirt at my feet. Before I could chastise him for it, the Hyuuga returned with shovels and a pickaxe. Another Hyuuga was following behind her carrying a tray of young plants.

"Naruto-kun?" she said tentatively.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Sakura and I came to help," Naruto pointed off in a random direction.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled. She handed me the shovel and set the pickaxe down.

"Here, nee-chan." The girl behind Hinata handed her the tray of plants, "I'll go get them started." She motioned toward Naruto.

"Hanabi, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I know what to do. Come on, Naruto."

"Awesome! Bye, Hinata-chan! Sasuke." He gave me last one shove before leaving.

I heard Hinata sigh beside me. Her cheeks were lightly pink. It wasn't even that hot out.

"We should get started." She set the tray down on the floor. "We're replanting these into this plot." She kneeled down on the floor. I walked around the plot with the shovel.

"Shall we begin?" she said with a small smile.

* * *

><p>The Hyuuga and I got to work relatively quickly and silently. I wasn't surprised. The Hyuuga clan have been known to be quiet people who minded their own business. Hinata was no different. But, I was expecting her to say something at least…<p>

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, disrupting the silence.

She lifted her eyes from a carrot plant. "Doing what?"

"This garden. What is it for?"

"It's a community garden the Hyuuga clan wanted to start." She patted the dirt and then moved on to another small hole in the ground.

"But why? Why would the Hyuuga, of all people, want to create a _community _garden?" I pushed the subject a little further.

"The Hyuuga clan has always held the people and community of Konoha in highest regard. We try to take part in the community as much as we can. This is just a small way of trying to bring people together," she answered eloquently.

It sounded way too rehearsed for me.

I scoffed. "That sounds like bullshit."

I dug my fingers through the dirt. I pushed further and further and grabbed a random plant from the tray and threw it into the hole I just dug. Before I had a chance to cover the damn plant with any dirt, a pair of soft hands grabbed mine.

A breath stuck in my throat. My eyes followed the source from which the hands came from - dirty fingers, followed by thin wrists, and a pale lavender jacket, and then the piercing white gaze of a Hyuuga.

She moved my hands gently away and proceeded to fix the hole I dug. She took a different plant and placed it softly in the ground.

"You don't know us," she said softly, patting the dirt around the leaves. "Just like I don't know you," she said, barely above a whisper.

I looked away from the plant and found her staring right at me.

"It's good to see you looking so healthy and strong." She stood up from the ground and began to dust off dirt from her pants. I followed her lead.

She bent down to gather the tools we used. Small shovels and pickaxes. She settled them all on the tray that once held all the small plants. She stood up once more and looked me straight in the eye. "Thank you for coming today. We appreciate the help," she paused, "I appreciate it."

I shrugged. "It's not like I had a choice."

"If you'd like to come back to help us out please let Haruka-san or I know. I'm sure we can find something for you to do." She started to walk away.

"Wait! Are we done here?"

She nodded slowly, as if I was the one who asked a dumb question. "It's almost five, Sasuke-san."

* * *

><p>I walked out of the garden with a huff. Haruka was supposed to pick me up at four and she was late. But why the hell should I get frustrated? I don't need a babysitter.<p>

I caught a spot of red from the corner of my eye and I immediately whipped my head around.

Kakashi was standing in front of Haruka. She was leaning against the tall fence surrounding the garden and was looking away with her arms crossed.

"Haruka," I called out. I jogged over.

I noticed her jump away from Kakashi and he even took a step back.

A smile quickly spread across her face. "Sasuke! You ready?"

I nodded.

"Great. Do you want to get something to eat?" she pulled on my arm and began to walk away from my old teacher, and hokage, ignoring him completely.

"Haruka," he said sternly.

"Kakashi, mind your own business," she spat. She turned toward me. "You're probably tired. You want to head home?"

"Sure."

"Alright, let's go."

We walked down the path quietly. A heaviness seemed to hang above Haruka, although, she looked as cheerful as ever. I knew it had something to do with Kakashi, who I sensed was still standing where we left him.

I sighed and quietly relished the feel of dirt on my fingers.

* * *

><p>Total Volunteer Hours: 7<p>

Volunteer Hours Left: 493


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – First Impressions**

I could barely hear an audible knock at the front door. If it weren't for the fact that I was sitting in the kitchen finishing my breakfast, I wouldn't have heard it.

I burst open the door, expecting my annoying red haired representative, but instead found an orange haired giant.

"Sasuke-san."

"Juugo."

"Haruka-san. She told me to pick you up," he announced.

"Why?" I pushed my way out the door and closed it behind me.

He stepped aside. "She's on a mission to Sunagakure."

"She takes on missions?" The fact was news to me. I assumed she worked in the village and stayed here.

Juugo simply nodded.

"Why are you really here? Are you my babysitter for today?"

"I'm volunteering today. She asked me to take you with me."

"Where are we going?"

He didn't respond.

* * *

><p>"What the hell?"<p>

Juugo led me across the grassy field toward a lone table a few yards away from the Academy building. Groups of kids gathered in random places on the field. By the table, I recognized Iruka, and some of my old classmates: the Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled. I ignored her and continued to let Juugo lead me toward the table, even though I really just wanted to sprint away right this second.

"Sasuke-san," the Hyuuga greeted.

I gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Juugo," she greeted my companion.

"Hinata-san," he replied, which surprised me. I didn't expect them to know each other, of all people.

"Sasuke, um," Iruka cleared his throat, "I didn't expect you. Well," he clapped his hands together, "I'd rather have you then Suigetsu. He scares the kids away."

We gathered around the table and listened to Iruka's instructions.

"Today is field day for the lower grades of the Academy. We have quite a few events lined up for today. We have running, jumping, obstacle courses, and even some ninja skills events planned. I need one extra person for the 100-meter dash. Uh, Sasuke?" Iruka eyed me nervously. "Do you think you can do that one?"

I shrugged.

"Good. It'll be you and Ino then."

Damn.

"Alright! Contests start in five minutes. Get to your positions."

The others began to walk away leaving only Ino and I at the table. She lifted a stop watch from a pile of flags and handed it to me. She also grabbed a clipboard and pencil.

"Let's get going then."

We walked in actual silence toward the 100-meter dash finish line. A few kids were already lined up near the start.

"Okay!" Ino yelled. "When I lower this flag the first two runners start. You ready?"

A chorus of 'yes' and 'yeah' filled the air.

"Ready, Sasuke-kun?"

I nodded, resting my finger on the start button.

"On your marks…get set…go!" Ino lowered the flag and the first two runners raced down the trail toward us.

* * *

><p>Pairs of academy students whizzed past me. Ino stood beside me collecting names and times for each runner.<p>

"Okay! That's it - oh?" Ino stopped short. She looked over her clipboard and saw one boy standing near the starting line, kicking at the dirt.

"Sora-kun? Do you want to race? Is it okay if you're the only one?" Ino asked, her voice as cheery as ever.

The boy shrugged.

"Okay! When I lower the flag you run as fast as you can."

He readied himself and once Ino dropped the flag the boy sprung away from the start line, running as fast as he could, but compared to the other kids, he wasn't very fast at all.

Ino took note of his time once he crossed the finish line. She ruffled his hair. "Alright, Sora-kun. Are you going over to Shino's activity next?"

The boy nodded and then skittered away without answering.

Ino shook her head. "That boy is so shy. You'd think he was related to Hinata, but no he's Shino's cousin, or nephew, or something."

I ignored her and walked back to the table. Iruka was sitting at the table talking to Shino.

"Sasuke," he called, his voice wavering. "We're about to start another event. Would you like to man it with Shino?"

He and I exchanged glances. If he had any opinions he didn't voice them or express them.

"Sure," I replied.

"Great. Shino could you lead him the way to the obstacle course?"

Without a word Shino walked away from the table and led me to the obstacle course, presumably.

We passed by shuriken and kunai throwing contests. The jumping obstacle course was next to it. Juugo stood by the start with a blank stare, acting more like a tree than anything else.

Before us, the obstacle course loomed over us. Hoops were suspended in the air and laid out on the ground. Then a climbing obstacle, followed by some crawling and then a rope swing.

Nara was standing next to the end of the obstacle course. The Inuzuka was already standing next to the starting point of the obstacle course. Shino went to stand next to him. I took the cue and walked over to the end of the course, standing near Nara.

No words were exchanged between me and the others, not even after the obstacle course opened and students began to file through.

The student's cheers, laughter, and cries overwhelmed the thickness hanging over us.

I could tell Nara had something to say, but he didn't voice anything. He just stood there and offered words of encouragement to students every now and then.

Said students either ignored me completely or attempted to look in my direction, but never made eye-contact. Their behavior made sense. Regardless of what I did during the war, everyone was still angry with me. Except one person.

Once the last group of students passed through the course, lunch was called and I immediately cringed.

I quickly scanned the field for Juugo and noticed he was sitting at a picnic table. I rushed over as quickly as I could without it looking like I was in a hurry.

"Sasuke-san," he greeted.

"Juugo."

We sat in silence. The quiet murmurs and chatter from the others surrounded us.

Neither us brought our lunch and neither of us wanted to get one of the lunches offered to the volunteers.

I just wanted the day to be over.

Nara dropped down in the seat next to Juugo, opposite me.

"Shikamaru!" Ino snapped under her breath.

He waved her off and continued to fiddle with the lighter in his hands. He'd been holding it all morning.

"Have you thanked her?" He asked.

My eyes slid over to his face. He was looking me straight in the eye.

"Thanked who?"

He placed the lighter on the table, not once looking away from me. "Thanked Haruka."

"You seem awfully familiar with her," I countered.

"I work with her."

"Then why aren't you with her right now?"

"She's on a official business to Sunagakure," he replied. "Be sure to thank her when she returns."

"Thank her for what?"

His eyes narrowed. "Thank her for helping you. It's not like there were people jumping at the chance to represent you. She did everything she could to get you this far. She sacrificed a lot. You need to thank her."

"I don't need you telling me what to do."

A long breath escaped him. "Just so you know, none of us will be okay with you becoming hokage, so quit the act."

He stood up from his seat and returned to his teammates.

"Haruka-san said she'll be back next week," Juugo said.

"Why didn't she tell me she was leaving?"

Juugo didn't answer.

* * *

><p>Today's Volunteer Hours: 5<p>

Total: 12

Volunteer Hours Left: 488

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong> - Thanks for reading! I took a long break from this story because I was writing another and I figured I couldn't write two stories at the same time. Let me know what you thought. If you have any volunteer suggestions let me know :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Communication Standards

I leafed through another stack of papers. It's no surprise Haruka used glasses. If I stared at these documents day in and day out, I'd go blind too.

Haruka. It's been a week and she still wasn't back. It's taking her too long. I'm tired of all the volunteer assignments the hokage was assigning me.

Document organizer, really? Could he get any stupider than that? He's just assigning me busy work because he's frustrated too.

If he didn't want the stress and frustration he shouldn't have taken the job.

I stuffed the next pile of papers into a clean, newly labeled folder, and stuffed it onto a shelf.

A large spike of chakra entered the hallway adjacent to the room I was in. Was he doing it on my behalf? I groaned loudly until he opened and closed the door behind him.

"Ah, Sasuke. How are you doing in here?" Kakashi leaned against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Fine," I grumbled. I sat back down at the table and began to organize another pile of papers.

"Thanks for doing this. Not many people want to." He walked past me, stopping in front of the only window in the room.

"That's not surprising." I slipped the papers into a new folder and tried to make it look like his presences wasn't irking me.

"Haruka isn't back yet," he commented.

I rolled my eyes. "That is obvious."

"Aren't you worried?" His tone was light.

"She's a grown woman and a jounin, why should I be worried?" I stood up from my seat, the chair scraping against the floor. I picked up the folder and placed it next to the other one on the shelf.

"You look well." Kakashi was now facing me.

"Whatever. What do you want?" I dropped back down into my chair.

"Has Haruka spoken to you?" His previous playful tone disappeared. His gaze was sharp and patient.

"Haruka and I hardly speak."

"Really? She hasn't talked about the cases she's working or what she's doing in Sunagakure or Kumogakure?"

"She's in Kumo? I thought she was only in Suna?"

"That's not important. I'm just wondering if she's told you anything about it."

I picked up another set of papers. "Like I said. We hardly speak." I jammed the papers into a folder.

"Are you mad about something, Sasuke?" I could hear the humor in his voice.

My eyes narrowed unconsciously. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. His arms hung loosely beside him, as if he was trying to relax himself. "She didn't tell you she was going on a mission did she?"

"That's none of my business, but I would think," I hesitated. That's what he wanted wasn't it? My opinion. "She should have told me. She's my representative."

"She has other obligations, Sasuke. Don't get in her way." His chakra buzzed. "Let her do her things and you do yours."

###

"What did he want from me?" I kicked a stray rock on the path. It skidded across and hit the side of a building, startling a cat napping on top of a newspaper.

I rolled my eyes, my hand finding their way into my pants pocket. I wanted to look nonchalant, as if I didn't care their stares mattered. Who was I kidding? Them or myself?

"Sasuke!" Naruto screeched.

I sighed and tried to contain any frustration that might build up.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted a little less harshly.

How did I not sense them? Did I still have a seal placed somewhere on me?

"We're going to eat dinner." Naruto wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You wanna come?"

I looked around quickly. People were staring. People were trying to ignore us.

"Let's go!" Naruto began to drag me before I could answer. What confused me was I wasn't trying to fight him off.

We arrived at Yakiniku Q. It didn't look any different, but I knew it wasn't the same building from the last time I came to the restaurant. That one was gone and destroyed.

Naruto pulled me and Sakura into a booth and ordered the meat and vegetables quickly.

Naruto and Sakura were both sitting across from me. Naruto drooling. Sakura looking as bored as ever.

"How have you been, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, taking a sip from her water.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine."

"How's the volunteering going? Do you have a lot of hours done?" Naruto slapped some pieces of meat onto the grill.

"It's fine. No."

"Really? What did you do today?"

"I was Kakashi's errand boy," I grumbled.

"Did he have you do paperwork?" Sakura piped.

"Sort of."

"He's short staffed right now, which is unfortunate, you'd think more people would want to work for the hokage, but," Sakura shrugged, letting her comment slide.

"Baa-chan, should've just let me become hokage. Then Kakashi-sensei wouldn't be so stressed," Naruto grabbed his meat and began to chew on it.

"It wouldn't matter who was the hokage. The work would still be there. Don't be stupid, Naruto." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Why is he so stressed in the first place?" I ask.

Sakura and Naruto both look up, their attention previously on their food. Naruto shrugs, returning his attention to his food. Sakura, on the other hand, leans her chin into the palm of her hand, contemplating.

"We do have a shortage of ninja. A lot of people are retiring or finally settling down to have families. There's a shortage."

"I heard you volunteered at the academy?" Naruto spoke with his mouthful. "How was that?"

"I'd rather not do it again," I replied, grabbing some food of my own off the grill.

"It couldn't be that bad," Naruto continued. "I bet it was nice seeing all the kids, running around, having fun. I think it's cool they're starting those new activities and such. It makes class less boring."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You do know why they're doing that, right, Naruto?"

"Huh?" He chewed. "Why?"

"They're trying to make it more appealing. For one they want to educate the students and two they're going to need a new group to take over the older groups that cycling out. Come on, Naruto. You have to start paying attention to these things."

He simply shrugs and continues eating.

"It's not just a title you'd be receiving," I say. Both of their eyes land on me. "It's a responsibility to protect the people. They literally entrust their safety and future into one person." I sigh. "You have to take it seriously."

"When did you-?"

"Naruto!" A heavy handed landed on the back of my seat. "Oh? Hey...Sasuke," Choji greeted carefully.

"Naruto. Sakura," Shikamaru nodded his head in their direction. "Sasuke."

"Billboard brow! Sasuke-kun, hey! It's so great to see you so soon after the field day. Seeing all those kids was nice, huh?" Ino punched me in the shoulder. "They were so adorable."

"Ino," Sakura grumbled.

"You'd never guess who I saw, Sakura. Sora-kun. You know, Shino's little brother."

Sakura shook her head. "They're not brothers. I think they're cousins, but Shino's like an uncle to him."

"Naruto," Shikamaru interrupted the gossip. "Come by and see me whenever you're free. I want to talk to you about something."

"Why don't you sit down and join us?" Naruto motioned to the empty seats beside me. "There's room and you know how much I hate going to your office. It's so stuffy."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You better get used to it if you want to become hokage." His eyes briefly found mine.

I stood up from my seat.

"Sasuke-kun? Where are going?" Sakura dropped her chopsticks.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's cheery tone gone.

"I'm going home." I pushed past the others and walked out the door before anyone could stop me.

###

It was stifling. Their presence. I knew Sakura and Naruto meant well, but I had this overwhelming sense that they were still tip toeing around me. It's like they wanted to tell me something, but they couldn't find the words or guts to tell me. It's irritating.

I ignored the stares from the kids playing in the park. The sun was setting and their laughter and squeals will be replaced by the last calls from cicadas. Summer was ending soon.

I stopped in front of the gate to my apartment complex. I began to fish for my keys when the gate opened up from the other side.

"Sasuke!" Suigetsu greeted.

Juugo stood silently behind him.

"You're a sight for sore eyes. You headed over to Haru's?"

"Haru's…?"

"You know," Suigetsu wiggled his eyebrows. He and Juugo pushed past me, letting the gate close with a loud clang. "Haruka's" he answered. "Karin told us she just arrived from her mission. We're heading over for a late dinner and to hear Karin complain about work. You wanna come?"

"You guys have dinner with her?"

"Let's go, or we'll be late!"

* * *

><p>Today's Volunteer Hours: 6<p>

Total: 18

Volunteer Hours Left: 470

* * *

><p>A.N. - Thanks for reading! Also thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it tremendously :D<p>

I want to clarify that this is a non-romantic story. This is about Sasuke and his development. It might be angsty and maybe even humorous. Also, Haruka is an OC and she's around Kakashi's age. Hopefully, she'll come off as a 'big sister' type character or something for Sasuke, Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin.

Thanks again for reading! If you have an idea for a volunteer job let me know. I'll take it into consideration :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Edit: **Changed this chapters volunteer hours. - Sep 29, 2014

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 - Scars Aren't Always Visible<strong>

She didn't look amused. Not at all.

But we were all startled by her appearance, not by the death glare she was throwing at us.

"Haru~" Suigetsu cooed. "What the hell did you do to your hair?"

Haruka leaned against her door frame, pinching a lock of now dark brown hair between her fingers. "I changed it. Do you have a problem with it?"

Suigetsu grimaced. "A little bit, yeah. You look older now, you looked hotter before."

Haruka's eyes narrowed.

"Who cares!?" Karin pushed past Suigetsu and Haruka. "I'm hungry. Let's get on with it."

Haruka entered her apartment. "What makes you think I'm going to make food for you?"

"You always make food!" Suigetsu and Juugo entered after Karin, settling down on Haruka's sofa.

I entered and closed the door behind me. Haruka sneaked into her kitchen, silent as ever.

Suigetsu and Karin proceeded to get comfortable on the sofa and floor. Juugo sat at the corner and stared out the window, looking out into the night.

I followed Haruka into the kitchen. "Why did you-?"

"Do you want beef? Maybe a vegetarian meal?" Haruka looked inside her refrigerator and grimaced "On second thought, maybe we should order food. I haven't been in here in like a week. My food's gone bad." She rolled her eyes.

She slammed the door shut. She opened up a drawer next to the fridge and grabbed a white envelope. "I'm going down to the yaki stall down the street." She eyed me, looking up and down. "Do you want to come with me? I could use the help."

"I want takoyaki!" Suigetsu voice echoed around the room.

"I want pork okonomiyaki. Make sure they put extra sauce!" Karin screeched.

Haruka slammed her forehead against the fridge.

"Sure," I said.

# # #

We ended up at a hot food stand down the street from her apartment. I could smell the pork frying and fresh takoyaki being laid out.

It was late in the evening so there were crowds of people returning home from work or scavenging the stalls and restaurants for a late dinner.

Haruka paid no mind to their stares, their whispers or the gossip.

She got in line behind a couple and their small son.

"I hope the others didn't bother you too much." Her voice hummed over the crowd's.

I stopped next to her and stood as close as I could.

She made herself small by crossing her arms and pressing them as close to her chest as she could.

"Suigetsu and them? No. I hardly saw them."

We pushed forward in the line and silence enveloped us.

"You were gone awhile…"

"Yeah." Her eyes studied her surroundings, taking in everything quickly before setting her eyes back on the ground beneath her feet. "The meetings lasted longer than I expected, but I got most of the work done."

"What were you-"

"What did you end up doing? Oh," she interrupted. "Sorry."

"I volunteered at the academy with Juugo."

"Oh? How was that?"

"Awful."

She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "That can't be true. Was it really?"

"I hate kids."

She nodded, understanding. "Dealing with children is a whole lot different than dealing with adults, but I think they're a lot easier to be around. They _understand _better."

"Understand? What is there to understand?"

"That's where you're wrong." Her voice was light. "People don't give them as much credit."

"What do you-"

The boy standing before us fidgeted from foot to foot. He stepped too far back and bumped into me. "Ow. Oh, I," The small boy turned to apologize, but sputtered.

Haruka smiled. "It's alright," she answered for me.

His parents turned slowly around and the same shocked expression spread across their face.

His mother gripped her son's shoulder and maneuvered him in front of her.

"Haruka-san," the man greeted, eyeing her briefly, his eyes lingering on her hair.

"Hello, Aoba-san."

"Your presence was missed at the joint meeting last week."

"I was out of town. I'm sure one of my assistants gathered the necessary information. I'll have everything you need by the end of the week."

He nodded. He glanced at me quickly before turning back around.

"What else did you do?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Did you volunteer anywhere else?"

I gazed around us again. No one noticed the short confrontation. "Kakashi had me doing paperwork. Filing them mostly."

Haruka grinned. "Now, _that_ sounds awful."

"It was terrible."

"I suppose you'll hate what I do then. I was going to ask if you wanted to help out this week. I'm sending Shikamaru out to do something for me and I'd appreciate the help."

I cringed at the sound of this name. "Shikamaru…?"

"He's my assistant."

I scoff. "Seriously?"

She shrugs. "I should probably promote him soon or something, but I don't think he's up to leading his own group quite yet. Although, he does have the experience and the smarts."

I roll my eyes. She must have sensed my indignation because I suddenly felt her firm grip on my forearm.

"Do you want to come by? How about the day after tomorrow? I could use the help."

I don't answer.

# # #

Suigetsu was keeled over on the floor. Juugo slept soundly on the couch. Karin had scurried into Haruka's room and fell asleep as soon as she finished her meal.

"Do they do this often?" I met Haruka in her kitchen.

She was tossing food containers into the garbage. The weight of the day was piling on top of her.

"They're always here. It's annoying, but I miss them sometimes," she says with a shrug. She moved over to the sink.

She grabbed a sponge and squeezed a generous amount of soap on it.

"Do you need help?" I slid into the space beside her.

"You can dry them if you'd like."

She scrubbed and rinsed the first plate and then went on to the next. After each rinse, she handed me the dish and I proceeded to dry it.

After the fourth or fifth dish, she started to slow down. Her hands began to still and her breathing became shallow and hesitant.

"Haruka?"

She dropped the dishes and let them clatter in the sink. She stuck her hands under the running water and began to scrub at her hands vigorously.

"Haruka?"

She scrubbed and scrubbed, her breath spastic. "I can't. I can't."

Suddenly, she pushed past me and down the hall toward the bathroom, leaving me alone in kitchen.

"What just happened?"

* * *

><p>The building that housed Haruka's office was behind to the hokage administration building and the ninja academy, nestled between a few dozen trees.<p>

It was a tall building that housed the archives and Konoha ninja library. It was a scholarly building and housed much of the intelligence the hokage and ninja needed on a daily basis. For some reason, it seemed out of place. Shouldn't something of this importance be hidden away?

I entered the building and proceeded to walk up the four flights of stairs to her office.

I reached to correct landing and turned to the right. Three offices were huddled down the hall. Two of the three offices were open. I could here Haruka's voice traveling toward me.

"Shikamaru, could you possibly get him to look at it and when I mean possibly, I mean make sure he looks it over and gives me a word back. I'm not playing around any longer. I need this information now."

Shikamaru sighed. "Why me?"

"Because he trusts you. Go before it gets too late in the day. Make sure you check out with the hokage."

"Fine."

"Oh, Sasuke." Haruka greeted.

I hadn't noticed that I walked all the way to her office.

Shikamaru grabbed something from her desk and then pushed past me.

"Be safe, Shikamaru!" Haruka yelled after him.

"See you later," he replied and then stomped down the stairs.

"Hey, Sasuke," Haruka stood up from her seat. She regathered some random papers and met me at the door. "Welcome to Konoha's Intelligence Division - Office of Historical Preservation and Collection."

"What?"

She smiled. A rare occurrence. "A mouthful, huh?" She looked around the room. "I don't have a desk for you and Shikamaru would kill me if I let you use his." She gazed at the floor. "Do you mind sitting on the floor?"

I shrugged and sat down on the floor.

Haruka grabbed a box filled with documents and placed it at my feet. "Shikamaru and I are currently recording the records of the other kage pertaining to the final battle of the war with Madara."

I lift open the box and stacks upon stacks of paper sat inside, staring at me.

"None of the information in this box is confidential so don't assume you're sneaking around or anything."

The first sheet and I see has mizukage scrawled across. "What exactly do you do?"

A small smile crossed her face. "I make sure people don't do stupid things."

# # #

I sat in Haruka's office for four hours before she stands up and leaves. I hear her knock on a door and proceed to open it, not even waiting to hear what the person on the other side had to say.

"It's lunch time. I'm hungry. You want something?"

I hear a masculine groan. "It's already lunch time? Shit. I need to go to the hospital. Riko has a doctor's appointment at noon."

"Oh? Are you two finding out the sex today?"

I could hear the man shift from his seat. "Yeah. She's really excited. I'm just glad she doesn't have morning sickness anymore. It spooked Sora too much."

_Sora?_

"Is Sora excited to be an older brother?"

"You have no idea! But I think he's getting more nervous than we are. He's worried he won't be a good older brother."

"Where would he get that idea?"

"I have no clue."

"Are you going to the hospital now?"

"Yeah?" he paused. "Why?"

"Sasuke!" Haruka called.

I scrambled to my feet and walked toward her voice. Hopefully it didn't look like I had listened in on their conversation.

"Sasuke, this is my good friend Toshiro Aburame. He's going to take you to the hospital."

"I am?" Toshiro rose from his seat. He didn't hold himself like that of a regular Aburame. He didn't have the oversized coat or sunglasses. Instead he wore the regular commissioned ninja uniform and wire-framed eye glasses.

Haruka cleared her throat.

"I guess I am!" Toshiro rubbed the back of his neck. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke. I'm ready to go if you are."

I shrugged. I was still confused as to what was going on. "Why am I going to the hospital?"

"Monthly check ups, remember?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "They're random. See you!" She pushed us out the hallway.

# # #

We arrived at the hospital promptly. Toshiro had his arms crossed in front of him and I could tell he was feeling slightly nervous, most likely because of his pregnant wife.

"She means well," he spoke, one of the few words he exchanged with me on our short walk. "Sometimes, I think, she forgets not everyone is on her same wavelength."

I shrug.

He sighs. "Well," he pushed open the front door, allowing me to enter before him. "Good luck on your volunteer service. You should consider volunteering at the Ninja Academy. You get lots of hours out of it. Even Haruka benefited from it." He began to walk away.

"What do you mean?"

He stopped short. "Huh?"

"What do you mean by, 'even Haruka benefited from it'?"

"Oh, well. She volunteered at the Academy for her rehabilitation as well, that's all. A lot of ninja don't even consider it for PTSD or depression programs, but it helps some of us. You should consider it." He turned back around and walked toward the pediatric wing of the hospital.

_PTSD?_

* * *

><p>Volunteer Hours: 8<p>

Total Volunteer Hours: 26

Volunteer Hours Left: 474

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> Thanks for reading! Thanks for reviewing! As always, let me know what you though. Please & Thank you. You're feedback is important to me :)

Also, if you have any volunteer suggestions or there's something in particular you want to see Sasuke do, let me know! I'll try to make it happen.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - What's the Point?**

I slipped slightly in the mud, inwardly grateful it was only me and Suigetsu on the farm.

Farm.

The clouds were high in the sky, allowing us to work in the field free from the sun's rays, but the humidity and moisture in the air was bothersome.

"Come on, Sasuke!" Suigetsu waved his arm. He had moved ahead of me, pulling the plow behind him.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with!"

I groaned. "What makes you think I'm trying to get this done quickly?"

Suigetsu turned down the next row and began to race toward me, the plow digging into the dirt firmly. He barked in laughter. "You're right! You're the one who needs to gather up all those volunteer hours. Loser." He leaned on his plow.

"Why are _you_ doing this?" I ask.

"Doing what? The plowing. They told me to do it," he pointed to the building behind us.

"That's not what I meant."

"Working?" He teased.

I didn't answer.

He shrugged and looked away, disappointed he didn't get to rile me up. "I have nothing else better to do."

"You have nothing else better to do?"

He shook his head. "I don't have a job like Karin or Juugo. I pretty much offer my services. Free or paid. It's better than sitting around my place doing nothing."

I rested my arms against my side. He was right. Doing something was better than just lying around not doing anything, but my mind reeled. Why did I have to work on a farm? Why did I have to do anything someone told me for that matter?

Suigetsu sighed. "I'm done with my volunteer service, but I don't mind doing stuff like this."

# # #

Suigetsu and I settled underneath a large tree, it's canopy providing us a decent amount of shade and letting the cool air settle around us.

He stuck his arm into his bag and fished out a container filled with food. "I stopped by this new little restaurant that's near our apartment. The food is super good."

"Why did you even stop by?" I eyed his food. It looked too 'fresh' for Suigetsu's standards. His diet usually consisted of fried and greasy food.

"The girl who works there is really cute."

I rolled my eyes.

"It's weird having you around," he stated almost quietly. His gaze was concentrated on the fields.

"What?"

"It's been just me for so long. And just me and Juugo and Karin." He took a bite of his cucumber sandwich. "You were gone for so long."

I look out toward the fields as well. "This place hasn't changed."

Suigetsu shrugged. "Usually it isn't the place that changes, but the people."

We remained silent for a few moments.

"After our interrogation proceedings the hokage literally threw us into work. Did you know that? Karin spent the most time in interrogation, really, she was there before the final battle," he laughed, "then she got thrown back in with the rest of us. What a loser."

He shook his head. "Anyway, once they were finished with us, they didn't really have any other use for us. I'm sure they didn't want to let us out of the village, but at the same time what use did we have here?" Suigetsu sighed. "We had no desire to leave. What was the point?"

Suigetsu rested his elbow on his bent knee. "Haruka helped us find some things to do. She was our representative, like she was with you. She was so helpful. I really don't get her."

I remained silent. It wasn't often that people spoke so freely about her. She was an enigma. Shikamaru. Kakashi. Toshiro. They all spoke _of_ her, but they didn't seem to _know_ much about her at all.

"She seems so distant now. She isn't acting how she used to."

"How did she act before?"

Suigetsu shrugged. "With a better purpose."

* * *

><p>The smell that flooded out the door was delicious. There was no denying it.<p>

I walked into the Konoha Soup Kitchen before the breakfast service began. I stepped across the cafeteria like room tentatively and searched for the person in charge today - Chouji.

"Sasuke," he greeted, his usual ninja attire missing, in exchange for black slacks and shirt, covered by a spotless white apron. "Thanks for coming out today. Hinata said she'd be - speak of the devil. Hinata!" He yelled over me, waving his arm ecstatically.

Hinata walked over to us cautiously, probably surprised, as much as I was, by Chouji's early morning enthusiasm.

"The morning breakfast rush will be starting soon and it's going to just us until lunch time when the kids from the Academy will be coming to help out. You two sure you can keep up?"

"Of course," The Hyuga voiced.

I shrug.

"Alright let's get this going. Hinata you on serving detail?"

"Yes."

"Sasuke. Serving or cleaning?"

I wasn't sure which to pick. "Cleaning…?"

"All you need to do is wash the dishes coming in and make sure the stock of dishes never runs low."

"I can do that."

"Alright let's get this started."

Chouji jogged toward the main entrance. Hinata walked over to the first table in a long row and tied on her own apron. I walked into the kitchen and situated myself next to the sink.

"Alright! Come on in."

The doors were pushed opened and all at once, Konoha's homeless and most poor flooded in finding seats for themselves and their families, and one by one slowly making their way to the food.

###

The food line began to dwindle as the breakfast period began to end. I was able to keep up with the cleaning while Hinata and Chouji kept up with the food demand.

Soon enough the patrons began to leave. The homeless would return to their usual daily haunts, the adults to their first of possibly two or three jobs, and the kids to school.

After the last person left, Hinata sighed and settled down at a table. "It's always hard doing this."

Chouji sat down across from her. "But it's worth it right?"

Her eyes brightened. "Of course it is!"

I slouched against a now empty food table. "Why is there so many?"

Chouji and Hinata both looked up and faced me.

Chouji shrugged. "I'm not sure. Changing times? The economy? I don't know, but they need resources as well. Who would we be if we didn't help as much as we can?"

"I can't believe Konoha has a problem like this," I said. To think, a great ninja village as Konohagakure would have a problem like this.

"It's awful, but we're trying our best to support the people and ninja who need a little more help than others," Hinata defended.

"It looks like Konoha isn't doing enough."

Hinata and Chouji both concentrated on the wooden table before them.

# # #

Konoha. Yes the village is powerful, yes it produces powerful ninja and has one of the largest ninja forces, but what good is it if those same ninja fall through the holes and are destroyed by the very system they defend.

The lunch rush was about to begin and a small group of academy students arrived.

"Hello, Sora-kun," Hinata greeted the young Aburame quietly.

"Hello, Hinata-san."

She ruffled his hair gently.

A trio of students passed them and snickered.

Sora sighed and walked over to the last table that will be used to gather the dirty dishes. His job was to run back and forth between the cafeteria and kitchen, handing me and returning, the dishes.

The lunch rush went off without a hitch. A few of the visitors from this morning were present yet again, but most were new faces and a lot of them were young genin, getting into the swing of things.

The last few visitors began to file out and the academy students began to help us with our clean up. Chouji had one academy student cleaning down the tables. Hinata had another student helping her pack up the food. And Sora stood before me, fidgeting.

"Let's clean up the rest of the dishes and put them away."

He nodded and scampered back toward the cafeteria and began to gather the last pile of dishes.

I had my arms deep in the sink, scrubbing the plates as fast as I could and putting them out to dry when I hear a large crashing sound. I immediately stop the running water and walk out into the cafeteria.

Hinata and Chouji were outside moving a sign. The only people left inside was Sora and the two boys who came to volunteer. A pile of plates lay on the floor, unbroken, thankfully, but the boys hovered over Sora, smirking.

"What do you think you're doing, Sora-kun?" One sneered.

"You have no business here. Go home and don't even think about coming back to the academy. You're useless there," the other one spouted.

Sora squirmed under their gaze, fingering his smock and ignoring their gaze.

"Come on, Aburame!" One boy shoved him.

I walked out slowly from the kitchen and stood behind them, my arms crossed over my chest, waiting for them to notice my presence.

Sora noticed me and cowered even more.

The boys laughed. "You're so annoying."

They began to step back and immediately cringed. They turned around slowly and yelled.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Their faces paled and their eyes grew wide.

"Nothing!"

"It's none of _your_ business!"

Both boys hurried away, not looking back.

I returned my gaze to Sora. "You okay?"

He sniffled and ran his arm underneath his nose. He kneeled down and began to pick up the plates. "I'm fine."

I shrugged, returning to the kitchen, but the sound of his sniffling distracted me.

* * *

><p>Volunteer Hours: 12<p>

Total Volunteer Hours: 38

Volunteer Hours Left: 462

* * *

><p>A.N. - Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought. I'm trying to pump this story out as fast as I can.<p>

Manga Spoiler - When I started writing this fic I had different expectations and then stuff happened and I thought, 'oh, my fic is going to by slighly AU now', but now after reading this months chapters my whole thought process is 'my fic is definitely AU now...oh my gosh'. Ha!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Readjusting**

I was back at Haruka's office. Haruka was humming. Shikamaru was glaring. If that was a glare. He didn't have many different facial expressions.

"Good work, Shikamaru. How was your trip? I hope everything went smoothly." Haruka filed away the stacks of paper Shikamaru just delivered.

"It was fine. It wasn't too difficult, thankfully."

She shook her head. "I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I want to let you know I'm planning on giving you a promotion soon."

"Oh, please don't."

Haruka laughed. "Just a fair warning."

I ignored them and decided to look through one of the boxes stacked on Haruka's desk. I picked up a thin folder and opened it. There was a single sheet of paper and in neat handwriting the only thing written was: Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi?" I voiced.

Shikamaru and Haruka turned their attention to me.

"Yup, that bastard. I'm working my butt off trying to collect all this information, but he has yet to give me his personal response." She looked between Shikamaru and myself.

"What _exactly _are you doing?"

Haruka's eyes landed on Shikamaru, who shrugged.

"We're collecting records, both personal and factual about the war, the events leading up to it, and the results. Technically," Shikamaru stated. "It's taking awhile."

"And Kakashi hasn't given you his testimonial?" I ask.

They shook their heads. Haruka sighed. "You want to do me a favor, Sasuke?"

I stayed quiet.

"You want to run down to his office. See if he's up to it. If he doesn't do it soon there will be a warrant out for his arrest."

"Really?"

She scoffed. "Of course not."

I began to walk toward the door.

"Sasuke," she called out.

"Yeah?"

"We'll be wanting your testimony as well."

My breath hitched.

She waved her hand at me. "Run along now. Get this done for me."

# # #

I entered his office without knocking. I was half expecting him to be slacking off or maybe even caught in a compromising position, but no, he was working. Like a normal person. In all the years I've known him I never imagined him doing something normal.

"Sasuke," he said quietly. "What can I do for you today? Teach you the lesson about knocking first?" He finally looked up from the paper he was previously reading.

"Haruka told me to drop this off."

"Damn," he muttered.

"I thought you were only lazy when it came to meeting people. I didn't know you lacked in this as well. How did you even become hokage?" I walked up to his desk and dropped the folder on his desk.

He shot me a sideways glance. "I'm very punctual, except for this."

"Why?"

"I - it's none of your concern." He picked up the folder and placed it aside. "Tell her I'll get it done. She'll have it by the end of the week."

"What's taken you so long?"

He looked at me. His eyes betraying no emotion. "I've been busy."

"Really? For three years?"

"How is your volunteering going?"

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to change the subject. "It's fine."

"How many hours do you have now?"

Last week I went to the soup kitchen. This week I picked up a few hours at Haruka's and Toshiro's office. "Counting this week? I'm at 45 hours."

"Impressive."

"Did you know Chouji and Hinata run a soup kitchen?" I sputtered.

"_Chouji_ and _Hinata_?" He emphasized. "I do know about the soup kitchen. What about it?"

"A lot of people use it."

He sighed. "I know."

* * *

><p>"Thanks for your help, Sasuke." Iruka picked up the stack of papers I just finished grading.<p>

"Are you short on personnel?" I ask, which annoyed me. Why am I suddenly so full of questions?

"A little bit. There isn't a lot of people interested in becoming instructors right now."

I nod. I get up from my seat and stretch.

"Thanks for coming down," he repeats. "If you're interested, come back any time. I'm sure we'll be able to find something for you to do."

"Thanks."

I slink out and walk behind the building, hoping to avoid any parents or students.

I stop short when I hear the familiar sound of shuriken hitting a target.

I walk around the building to find Sora standing a few feet away from the target, throwing shuriken after shuriken.

Most of them hit the target, but none of them hit the bulls-eye.

He sighs in frustration when his hands are empty of shuriken.

"You're quite good," I call out.

He jumped, startled. He gaped. "I - Sasuke-san, no Uchiha-san. Sorry."

"Sasuke is fine," I reply.

He sighed and slumped to the floor. "I'm never going to get it."

I walk up to the target, removing the shuriken from the target. "Your form is good. You just need practice." I gathered the shuriken in my hand and walk to where he was sitting, holding the shuriken out for him. "Don't give up."

He took the shuriken into his hands. "Thanks." He placed them in his pouch wrapped around his leg. "I gotta go."

I nod.

"Okay. Well, bye." He took a step back and then ran out of the training ground.

"He's a timid boy," Iruka's voice broke my reverie, meeting me outside. "He has great potential though. He's just has brave and loyal as his father and fellow clansmen. Those Aburame know how to raise their children."

"Why is he timid?"

Iruka shrugged. "Perhaps he's nervous. Who knows? Maybe he needs a mentor other than this parents."

"A mentor?"

Iruka nods. "Yes. It's hard to find a stronghold when the people you look up to are broken. He needs strength."

_Strength? Broken?_

* * *

><p><strong>Total Volunteer Hours:<strong> 50

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> This chapter is a lot shorter than usual. Oh well. I expect this story to be done by chapter ten...so woot!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Mentoring**

I groaned at the sound of knocking on my front door. I steeled myself and gathered the energy to get out of bed, not even caring anymore about how I looked. No doubt it was Haruka and she's seen me plenty of times in my underwear.

"What?" I snap, opening the door and glaring out into the morning. My eyes strained down and landed on Sora.

He stood in front of my door fidgeting. "Sasuke-san…?"

"What the hell?"

He dropped his hand, which was prepared to knock on the door again. I looked around, searching for any signs of adult supervision. "What are you doing kid? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Uh, that's the thing. Iruka-sensei sent me here."

I groan and stroke my face with a sigh. "Why?"

"You don't know?"

I kept up my face of disinterest.

"Hold on." Sora removed his backpack and dug around for something. A few seconds later he produced a paper.

On the front in big bold letters: _Ninja Mentorship Program._

_Congratulations you have either chosen or have been assigned a mentor for this upcoming semester. Your job now is to connect with your mentor and learn as much as you can. Good luck ninjas!_

"What the hell?"

Sora shifted from foot to foot.

I sighed again. "Get in here."

# # #

"So I'm your mentor, huh?" I cracked some eggs over a skillet.

Sora sat at the table, swinging his legs back and forth and holding his backpack in his lap. He simply nodded.

"Did you choose me?"

He shook his head.

"Of course not," I grumble. "Well, what am I supposed to do?"

He shrugged.

I groan again. I drop my plate of eggs onto the table and begin to eat. I feel his eyes on me. "Have you had breakfast?"

He dropped his eyes to his hands, but shook his head.

"These eggs taste like crap. Let's go."

He hopped off his chair. "Where are we going?"

"Getting breakfast."

# # #

"Do you usually eat out?" Sora took a bite of his breakfast, real cooked eggs and vegetables.

"I don't usually have company in the morning, unless it's Haruka."

"Haruka-san?" His voice hinted the familiarity.

I nod.

Sora finished his breakfast quietly and waited for me to finish. He didn't speak again until we were outside the small restaurant we ate in.

"So," he spoke, "what are we going to do today?"

"I have no idea. Let's go walk around. See what's up."

Sora shrugs.

So we walked and walked and walked. We past by shops and small stalls selling various goods. We ignored most of the populace because they either stared, cowered, or glared.

"Sasuke? Sora-kun?"

We both stopped at the voice. Haruka was standing outside the Yamanaka flower shop, holding a bouquet of fresh lilies. "What are you two doing?"

I shrug.

"He's my mentor," Sora answered.

"Mentor?" Haruka's eyebrows rose. "How exciting! Sasuke, teach him good things."

"Sure."

"What's with the flowers?" Sora bounced toward her, taking a whiff.

"Oh, my office just seemed so gloomy lately and I wanted to brighten it up a little bit, but today is such a great day. Sasuke," she got my attention, "Kakashi finally gave his testimony. It's been a little over a week, but I have it. I'll be going over it today. I'm so excited. This means I'm almost done." She squealed. "I'm so happy. I gotta run. Do good things today!" She jogged away.

"She looks happy," Sora noted. "I haven't seen her so happy in a while. It's nice."

"Yeah…"

We returned to walking.

"Do you have your shuriken or kunai on you?" I ask.

"I have my shuriken…"

"Good. Let's go to the training ground."

"Okay!"

"Sasuke-san!"

Sora and I turn around to find the Hyuuga and her teammates standing before us.

"Oh, hello Sora-kun," she greeted. She looked between me and Sora.

"Sora?"

"Shino-nii-chan!" Sora greeted.

"Sora-kun?" Shino sounded confused.

"What are you doing with the Uchiha, Sora?" Kiba asked with a gruff.

"He's my new mentor," Sora said matter-of-factly.

"Mentor? Really?" Kiba barked with laughter. "What was Iruka thinking?"

"Kiba," Hyuga warned. "Sasuke-san is a good choice for a mentor. He's a powerful ninja. I'm sure there is a lot he could show Sora."

Kiba huffed. "Whatever."

"Anyway, Sasuke-san, I just wanted to let you know that there's a spot this week in the soup kitchen for you to help out. Oh! The Inuzuka clan just had a new litter of puppies. I'm sure they'd appreciate the help." She eyed Sora. "That sounds like fun, right Sora-kun?"

His eyes brightened.

Akamaru growled.

"Why are you telling him about our family's dogs? Hinata!"

She rolled her eyes. "Someone needs to help and he's available. We're going on a mission." She pulled on his arm. "Bye, Sasuke-san. Sora-kun."

The team turned away and walked toward the village entrance.

"Are you going to go work with the puppies?" Sora asked.

"Maybe...would you want to come?"

He nodded.

"Okay."

# # #

We arrived at the training ground. I hesitated, but Sora continued before me, not aware of the presence before us.

"Sasuke-san?" He questioned after I didn't appear before him. He followed my line of sight.

"Hokage-sama!" Sora bowed quickly.

"There's no need, Sora-kun," Kakashi said, briefly, his small smile reaching his eyes.

"I should have known you'd be here," I look past him to the memorial stone. "I thought you'd grown out of this habit."

"Some habits die hard." He took one last glance at the stone.

Sora decided to settle a few feet away from us. He reached into his backpack and began to take out his shuriken.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said softly. "I gave Haruka my testimony."

"Yeah, she told us."

He sighed. "She's going to hate me. Whatever happens, if she needs it, will you comfort her?"

"What? Why?"

"I tried to hard to hide it for so long," he continued, "I should have just told her. If I told her sooner maybe she wouldn't have gone through so much pain."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi's eyes met mine. "It's hard enough looking into the eyes of someone you failed, but to look into the eyes of someone you care about and telling them you couldn't save their loved ones," he sighed, "it's hard."

"What-?"

"I'm going back to the office. Do some good, Sasuke." He looked over my shoulder. "That boy needs it."

After Kakashi left, Sora spoke. "Sasuke-san? Are we going to do some throwing practice?"

"Yeah, kid. Let's go."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're letting me help you with the puppies," Sora squealed in excitement.<p>

The Inuzuka dogs were now able to interact with others, eat solid food, and ready to begin their leash training.

Sora giggled as he petted and tried to put on a leash on an overly excited puppy.

We hitched up a few puppies and began to walk them around the Inuzuka compound.

"Shino-nii-chan sometimes lets me come with him when he visits the Inuzuka clan. He knows I like dogs."

"Is Shino like an older brother to you?"

Sora shrugged. "I guess so. He doesn't have any little brother or sisters so he's stiff sometimes, but he's always nice and he helps me whenever he can."

"Are you excited to be an older brother?" I ask, remembering his family was expecting a new arrival.

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't think I'm ready."

"Why do you say that?"

We stopped to let the dogs sniff the grass around them.

"What if my baby sister or brother hates me? What if they don't like me or they don't want to play with me?"

"Don't give them a reason too," I answer.

"Huh?" His wide eyes gleamed in question.

"Younger siblings always look up to their older siblings. Do good. That's all you need to do," I say with a sigh.

"Did you look up to your older brother?" he asked suddenly, catching me off guard.

"What?"

"Your brother. Did you look up to him?" He patted and rubbed a puppy behind the ear.

I dropped down to the ground, letting some dogs walk over me. "I did. I do," I corrected. "I do look up to my older brother."

"Because he's a hero?" Sora asks.

"He was always a hero to me." My eyes narrow, "that _bastard_," I say under my breath.

* * *

><p><strong>Total Volunteer Hours:<strong> 56


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Ask & Answer**

I banged on her front door for the fourth time. She wasn't hiding her chakra or doing anything else to hide her presence. She was in there.

"Haruka! Let me in before I break the door down."

Silence.

"Toshiro told me. Come on! I read Kakashi's file and how he - "

The door flew open. A hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in.

"Good evening to you too," I say.

"Shut up," she grumbled. Her eyes were red. She looked up and seemed to examine my face.

"What?" I snap.

Her hand reached up to my hair, fingering a strand. "You need a haircut," she voiced.

I roll my eyes. "That's the least of my concern. I want to know why you're -"

"I'll cut it for you," she interrupted. "Sit down." She pulled out one of her dining chairs. "I'll be back."

I sat down and waited for her to return. Maybe she wouldn't run away from my questions if she was in the middle of cutting my hair.

She returned shortly with a towel and some scissors.

"Don't cut me."

She smiled slightly. "I won't." She wrapped the towel around my shoulders and began.

We were silent for a few moments. I relaxed in my seat and let her snip away at my hair. Her touch was gentle and almost comforting.

"You've been crying," I finally say.

"Yeah," She whispers.

"I read the file," my voice hovered over a whisper. I didn't want to be too quiet, but at the same time I didn't want to be too loud. "Who was he?"

"He was my fiancee. We," she sighed, "we were finally going to settle down and have a family. The war effort was too important and we decided to wait."

"Kakashi?"

"Apparently, Kakashi was there," she hesitated, "when it happened. When he died and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Which I'm not surprised. It was terrible out there, Sasuke. Terrible," she whispered the last part. "I've been and seen war, but that time… it was too much."

"Kakashi shouldn't have waited this long."

She began to cut away at the hair on top of my head. "I know, but his intentions were good. He didn't want to cause me more pain. I was in a dreadful state after the war, Sasuke. It was awful. I needed to go through treatment. I couldn't go out in the field anymore. I couldn't even live at home. I needed to get a new place with new things because everything reminded me of him and how things used to be." Her hand traced through my hair.

"Why was it so bad? For you?" I hadn't heard of anyone having negative effects such as hers.

"The genjustu." Her breath tickled my neck. "The genjustu. The one we all fell under. It skewed my thoughts and vision. You didn't go under it did you?"

"No."

She sighed again. "Some people have told me their experiences from when they were under the genjustu. They're all overwhelmingly positive. Amazing even. Mine was too, but that's what made it even more heartbreaking."

She shook out my hair. "He was there. We were living in a really nice house and there was children. We even had children," her voice began to break. "It was hard."

She made a few more cuts then stopped. "I'm done."

I ran my hand through my shortened hair. It actually felt lighter. I turned around in my seat to face her. "What did you do?"

"Huh?"

"What did you do after the war? Just treatments?"

"I got a new job. Volunteered more. Started new projects and such. Just to get my mind of things and to help other people. Some others weren't affected positively either. We needed help."

"What kind of projects did you start?" I rolled the towel off my shoulders, making sure to gather up my hair so it wouldn't fall on the floor.

"The soup kitchen is one. The community garden. The orphanage." She took the towel from my hands and walked to the trash can.

"Orphanage?"

"Yeah. The old orphanage was abandoned a long time ago. We started a new one just a few years ago a lot closer to the village. Recently, it's been getting a lot more support."

"Can people volunteer there?"

She looked toward me slowly and nodded. "Yes," she breathed.

I stood up from my seat and met her near the trash can and decided to do something I hadn't done in a long time.

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight. "I live just a few blocks away if you need to talk. So does Juugo and Suigetsu and freaking Karin." I let her go.

Her eyes began to water. "I know."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Sora." I pulled along five puppies on a leash. Sora trotted behind me, trying to keep up with three puppies of his own.<p>

"I'm coming, Sasuke-san. Where are we going anyway?"

"You'll see."

# # #

We arrived at an enclosed field next to a large building. Sora followed closely behind, still not sure what all of this was about.

"Uchiha-san," A older man in his fifties jogged up to us. "I'm Kento. We corresponded briefly. Are these the puppies?" He looked down at me feet.

"Yeah. They're the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs. They haven't begun they're training yet."

"They're adorable! I'm sure the kids would love to play and interact with them. I'll go gather them up and meet you here in the yard,"

I nodded in understanding and he jogged back into the building.

"What is this?" Sora asked.

"It's an orphanage. One of three in the land of Fire. The only one in Konohagakure."

Kento reappeared at the door. I could see a herd of small bobbing heads in the doorway. He then lead them out in two orderly lines, until all the children were outside. There was about twenty.

"All these kids," Sora wavered, "don't have parents?"

"No."

Kento waved us over.

Sora and I walked over to where he stood. The children were younger than Sora, at around 5 or 6. They all looked at us with excitement, almost as much as the furballs at our feet.

Kento began to speak. "Well, good morning everyone. Now, that everyone has had their breakfast I'd like to introduce you to our friend Sasuke and Sora. They brought us over something special." Kento looked at us briefly, sending us an encouraging smile. "To my knowledge, the Inuzuka clan, known for their ninja skills and work with ninja dogs, recently had a new litter of puppies. The Inuzuka clan along with Sasuke were kind enough to let us play with them this morning."

The boys and girls squealed and giggled.

"Now, just like any other living thing, you must be gentle with them. They're still babies, you know. I can see they're just as eager to play with you as you are with them."

Kento looked my way. "You can go ahead and let them of their leashes. This yard is secured."

"Whatever you say." Sora and I knelt down and unhooked the dogs. They immediately bounded toward the children or ran through the grass.

"Go on ahead," Kento called out.

I felt my sleeve tug. Sora was getting my attention. "Yes?"

"Can I go show some of them how to hold the puppies. Just so they don't get hurt."

I shrugged. "Sure."

Sora ran off to a group of kids who were sitting in the shade of a large tree, a pair of puppies sat in front of them.

"I'm so glad the Inuzuka clan considered my offer. There was no way I would be able to get these kids over to their household.

"How many kids do you have here?" I asked.

Kento had been looking on with a smile. "I have about twenty 5 and 6 year olds. I have a larger group of older kids. But I have about 110 kids here. Ranging in all age groups. Luckily, they all have their own rooms. I'm able to accommodate 300 children. Which I did and more right after the war, but the number has lessened dramatically."

"Why?"

He crossed his arms. "Oh, we were able to find their families and relatives that were willing to take them in. Some have aged up and were able to set out on their own, thankfully. The kids who are left have absolutely no one."

I looked around the yard. A few kids were giggling and running as one of the puppies chased them. Another group of girls sat in a circle and took turns as they petted and played with another.

Sora was with a group of boys telling them how to hold the dogs and relaying stories on how they become working ninja dogs.

"He's not your boy is he?" Kento asked quietly.

"Who? Sora? No," I answered quickly. "I," I cleared my throat, "I'm his mentor for this program at the ninja academy."

Kento nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, it looks like he regards you positively."

"I, uh. Thanks?"

Kento laughed and then walked away to join some of the kids.

* * *

><p>"Good work, Sasuke. You're really gathering up those hours aren't you." Kakashi scanned the sheet of paper noting my most recent volunteer work.<p>

"You're lucky you got into that mentor program. You can use that as volunteer service as well."

He looked at the rest of the sheet. "You've been to the orphanage. _Twice_."

"Yeah."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "How was it?"

"Good. We took the Inuzuka dogs. Another time we helped with their homework."

"You're taking Sora with you?"

"He wants to come."

Kakashi nodded. "How is Haruka?"

"She's fine. I think she's all cried out. She was at work this morning. I have homework. I have to write my testimonial as well."

Kakashi nodded again. "Okay."

"You're funding those projects aren't you?"

He looked up from his desk. "The soup kitchen. The orphanage. Did you start the PTSD program as well?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He sighed. "_She_ asked me too."

* * *

><p><strong>Total Volunteer Hours:<strong> 65


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Bright Future**

Haruka scraped at pan on the stove.

"How come my eggs don't come out like yours?" I took another mouth full.

She walked to the table and slid two more egg omelettes on the plate in the middle of the table. "Because I make food to enjoy life, you just make food to live through another day."

"Don't give me your philosophical crap."

She chuckled. She left the skillet on the stove and sat down across from me at the table.

"How's that timetable of yours coming along?" Her eyes lingered on the sheet of paper I had resting next to me.

I was trying to plan out my next month of volunteering. "Good. I'll be able to head to the soup kitchen almost every morning and then I'll be able to go to the orphanage and then pick up Sora when he gets out of school for some quick practice."

"You sound like a busy guy."

"There's a lot to do."

"You do realize it's been almost three weeks since you started that mentorship program with Sora. You only have a week left."

I finished my omelette. "Your point?"

"Are you still going to help him out when the program is over?"

I shrug. "I will if he wants me to."

"Even though it won't count as volunteer hours?"

"I'm not doing it for the volunteer hours," I mutter. I could see her smile through my bangs.

She reached out across the table and squeezed my hand. "You're almost done. You realize that, right?"

I nod.

"What are you going to do when it's all over?"

"Keep doing what I'm doing. There's nothing else to do."

She squeezed my hand again. "You're doing good, Sasuke."

"Oh, I have my testimonial for you."

"Really?" She gazed out the window. "Why don't you bring it to the office tomorrow. It's the weekend. No work today."

"Suit yourself." I shrug.

She sat back in her seat, watching me.

"What?"

She smiled. "You've changed."

"Have I?'

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Sasuke." Kakashi greeted me. He was leaning against the wall next to the door leading up to Haruka's office.<p>

"What are you doing here?" I open the door. I walk through without waitin for him. He followed me in.

"I came by to see her."

"Really? That's surprising. It seems like you've been avoiding her for the last month."

"Sasuke," he sighed. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

We reached the landing where Haruka's office was.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Toshiro greeted. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Come down to the house this weekend. We're having a little get together before the wife gets too big to move. I'm sure Sora would love to have you there." He looked over my shoulder. "Oh, good morning, hokage-sama."

"Hello, Toshiro," he replied tentatively.

"You're welcome to join us, hokage-sama. Free food!" He slapped me on the back. "I'll see you in a little bit. I need to pick something up. Haruka's in her office!" He called out as he ran down the stairs.

Kakashi and I walked the rest of the hallway in silence until we reached her office door. I knocked.

"Come in!"

I opened the door, allowing both Kakashi and I to walk in.

"Sasuke!" She watched Kakashi settle on the wall. "Ka - hokage-sama, what do I owe the pleasure."

He cleared his throat. "We need to talk."

"Oh."

"Here." I walked to her desk and dropped a folder. "My testimony is in there."

"Thank you, Sasuke. You headed to the orphanage?" She fingered the pages inside the folder.

"Nope. They don't need me today. I'm going to go kill a few hours before I pick up Sora."

"Okay."

"I'll see you." I walked back to the door.

"Yeah, see you later," she replied, but her eyes were on the hokage.

# # #

"I didn't think I'd find you here." Naruto plopped down beside me on the bench overlooking the village. "This is a great spot," he said with a satisfied sigh.

"Yeah."

"I hear you're almost done with your sentence. I bet you're excited."

"I guess."

He stretched, leaning back in his seat. "What are you going to do when it's over? Are you going to join the ninja force? We could use you."

"What good would I be?"

"We always need good ninja."

"We need good ninja here," I reply.

"Huh?"

I sigh. "I've been thinking. A lot. I have all the time in the world really. To think. I dreaded this sentence, but eventually it didn't feel like a sentence anymore. It wasn't an obligation either. It's just something I do."

"What are you getting at?" Naruto rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands cradle his chin.

"Itachi sacrificed everything for this village. For the people. For it's future. I didn't understand why when all they did was throw us away. They secluded us. Turned their backs on us. That's not going to happen anymore."

Naruto remained quiet.

"If I do anything after my service it'll be here in the village. Not going and completing missions outside. I'll work here. Where it matters."

Naruto sighed. "That sounds good to me."

We stayed quiet for a few moments.

"It's good to have you back, Sasuke."

* * *

><p>"Sasuke-san! I'm so glad you came! Shino-nii-chan is here too. Come on. He's going to show me a new group of bugs he's cultivating."<p>

I let Sora lead me through his family's yard and into a larger park that connected the homes to a inner courtyard.

"Hello, Sasuke-san," Shino greeted.

I nodded in return.

"Are you here to see the bugs as well?"

"Uh, yeah."

Shino set down a small plastic case that held a small cocoon. "I captured it on my recent venture to Iwagakure. They're stronger and have longer lasting tracking mechanisms."

"So cool!"

"Sasuke?" Haruka's hand found my arm. "I'm sorry, Sora-kun, Shino. Can I borrow Sasuke for a minute?"

Shino remained silent.

"Okay," Sora said with a smile.

"What do you want?"

Haruka giggled. "I want to introduce you to someone."

She led me across the lawn, past adults: ninja and a few civilians as well.

"Riko," she calls, "this is Sasuke."

Riko, a woman a little taller than Haruka, stood up from her seat on the bench. Her hair was dark, similar to other members of the Aburame clan. She stood poised and looked slim. Her growing belly overwhelmed her figure.

"Sasuke? It's so good to finally meet you." She pulled me toward her and hugged me without warning. She squeezed tight. "Sora _and_ Toshiro have told me so much about you." She let me go and pushed me away. "Let me get a good look at you."

I looked away, feeling her scrutiny. "You look very strong." She squeezed my arm. "Thank you for taking such good care of my Sora." She smiled. "We appreciate it so very much."

I was at a loss. What was I supposed to say? "What are you having?" I blurted out, staring at her stomach.

She laughed. "It's a girl."

"Congratulations."

She rubbed a hand across her stomach. "Thank you."

"Run along, Sasuke. Let us adults talk about big people things." Haruka pushed me away.

"I'm an adult too," I called out to her.

"Whatever!"

I walked around the little get together, avoiding impromptu conversations and greetings. I would have kept walking if I didn't find Kakashi sitting under a large tree.

"Taking in the scenery?" I ask, sitting down beside him.

"Yes. You going to scold me for that?"

"No."

The hum of conversations and children playing created a calm air. There was peace and there lacked a sense of urgency.

"It's great, isn't?" Kakashi asked, his eyes scanning the crowd of people, the children, and then settling on one person.

"What is?"

"Peace."

I lean back against the tree. "Is this peace?"

"As peaceful as it can get. Sasuke?"

"Yeah?" I looked over to him, but he wasn't looking at me. I followed his line of vision and noticed his concentration was on Haruka. "Why did she dye her hair?" I suddenly ask.

"She's been doing it for as long as I could remember. She probably tried to hide her heritage as hard as she could. They were being killed off you know. The Uzumaki clan. It's probably a defense mechanism. But, Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you decided what you want to do...after your volunteer service? Are you going to stay? Will you leave?"

"I'm going stay and I want to work here. I want to protect the thing my brother died protecting."

"Is that your wish?" Kakashi's attention turned back to the children playing in the park. Sora in the midst of them.

"Yes."

"What about your training?"

"I'm not going to stop training. Not like you or Naruto would stop me. Not even Sora would let me stop."

I could see Kakashi smile underneath his mask. "I'm glad you've found a purpose, Sasuke."

"It's not a purpose. It's something to do."

Kakashi scoffed. "Says you." He sighed, leaning back against the tree trunk. "We have a bright future ahead of us."

"Yeah."

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><p><strong>Total Volunteer Hours:<strong> 90

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><p><strong>A.N. -<strong> That's it! This story is complete. Thanks for reading.

I'm planning on going back and editing this story eventually, but not anytime soon. Maybe in December or possibly January. There might be some subplots I began, but never really completed, etc. I also need to work on the present/past tense writing. That's something I need to work on as a writer.

I really appreciate all the people who reviewed, followed, and favorited. You have no idea how much I appreciate it (and writers and general). It really pushes us to write more. Thanks! Keep a look out for more of my work. I write mainly Naruto and Ouran fanfiction.


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